Reentry Youth and Their Families: An Exploration of Their Perceptions of Family-based Interventions

Youth reintegrating into society following incarceration, commonly referred to as reentry youth or youth who reenter, face major challenges to achieving successful, healthy developmental trajectories when transitioning back to their families and communities. Family-based interventions focusing on family strengths and psychoeducational skills help reduce risky behaviors and assist youth who reenter transition back into their families and healthy trajectories into adulthood. Research on family-based interventions for youth who reenter and barriers to treatment engagement however, is limited. The qualitative findings reported in this paper draw from a larger randomized control trial of a family-based intervention for youth who reenter and their families. Youth who reenter and their guardians were queried about their motivation to participate in family-based interventions and their desired content for these interventions. Analyses revealed themes reflecting these families’ needs and suggested strategies for researchers and practitioners to consider that may increase families’ participation when developing and implementing family-based interventions. These findings are essential for fostering engagement in these interventions, promoting treatment adherence, and ultimately improving outcomes of youth who reenter when transitioning back to their families and communities. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.